Eric Johnson

Dr. Eric G. Johnson serves as Interim Associate Dean for Research and holds the Florida Photonics Center of Excellence Nanophotonics Chair at CREOL, University of Central Florida. His academic roles include Professorships at Clemson University (Palmetto-Net Endowed Chair in Optoelectronics) and UNC Charlotte (2006–2011). He leads the MURI program in structured light imaging/sensing and has directed major research centers, including the NSF ECCS Division (2008–2010, 2018–2019).

Education:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, University of Alabama in Huntsville
• MS in Electrical Sciences, University of Central Florida
• BS in Physics, Purdue University

His research focuses on optics and photonics, with applications in free-space communications, sensing, and directed energy systems. He has secured over $20M in grants from ONR, AFOSR, DARPA, and NSF, resulting in ~300 publications and 23 patents.

Awards:

• 2021 McQueen Quattlebaum Faculty Achievement Award
• 2004 NSF CAREER Award

Advising & Grants:

• Directed 300+ publications and 23 patents
• Advises graduate students like Matthew "Frankie" Reid (Optics PhD)
• Former Director of UNC Charlotte's Center for Optoelectronics & Optical Communications

He is a Fellow of Optica/OSA and SPIE, and has held leadership roles in ABET, IEEE, and SPIE editorial boards.